Tubing cleaner



Aug.23, 1927. A' E. NEUMEYER TUBING' CLEANER Filed Feb. 9, 1927 PatentedAug. 23, 1927.

ALBERT E. NEUMEYER, or MORRIS, OKLAHOMA.

TUBING CLEANER.

Application led February 9, 1927. Serial No. 166,874.

This invention relates to tube cleaners especially adapted for use inscraping paraflin from the tubings of wells.

By way of briefly explaining the purpose of this invention it might bepointed out that in most pumping oil wells the accumulation of paraflinin the tubing tends to obstruct the free fiow of oil and retard themovement of the sucker rods, especially the down strokes thereof. Thedeposit of par-v aiin on the inner wall of the tubing decreases thecross sectional area of the tubing so that r is not an easy matter topull the rods or renew section thereof with steam to remove theparaffin, a laborconsuniing and costly task. The cost of thus removingthe paraflin and the loss of production incident to v'such removal hasbeen the subject of much concern by those interested in the developmentof the industry. It is therefore a major purpose of this invention toprovide a tube cleaner or paraffin pony by which the paraffin may bescraped from the well tubing without removing the tubing and withoutexcessive cost and loss of production.

More vspecifically the invention forming the subject of this applicationis in the nature of a parafiin scraping member designed to beincorporated in the sucker rod so that by moving the sucker rod upwardlythe pareffin scraping member may have scraping .contact with theparaffin to remove the same whereby sufficient tubing cross sectionalarea is restored to allow of the introduction of the sucker rod and atthe same time to permit off the free flow of oil to the surface.

A further and equally important aim is to provide a paraffin pony of thecharacter specified which will not require the abandonment of presentequipment, will not depart from established pumping practices and whichmay be incorporated in a sucker rod wtihout the exercise of unusualskill.

Other objects and advantages will be aparent during the course of thefollowing escription.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application and inIwhich like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame. A

Figures l and 1a illustrate the improved Fparan pony in place in atubing.

Figure 2 is a perspective of the'improved paraffin pony detached. A

In the drawing the numeral 5 designates a well tubing of conventional orother design and installation and within which a sucker rod isreciprocated sothat the pumping unit on the lower end thereof will liftthe-oil, all of which is old and* well known to those skilled in theart.

The oil from some wells have afn content and during the pumping of the ahigh par-l' oil a portion of the paraffin becomes attached to thetubing. This cuts down the effective cross sectional area of the tubingfor the flow of oil and interferes with the reciprocation of the suckerrod. To combat this, I employ' a cleaning member unit embodying a stem 6preferably, but not necessarily of the same diameter as the diameter ofthe sucker rod to which the same is designed to be connected. At thispoint attention might be directed to the fact that the ends of the stem6 are provided with suitable boxes and 8 by which the improved cleaningunit might be easily incorporated in the sucker rod at a point belowwhere parafiin is likely to occur.

Referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that two separate spiral blades 9and 10 are formed on the stem 6 at spaced pints so that as the device ismoved upwardly it will come into scraping contact with the paraffin andwill remove the same from the wall of the tubing.- To counter-act anytendency of the stem to turn thev two separate spiral scraping bladesare coiled in opposite directions. Figure 2 clearly illustrates that theupper spiral cutting blade 9 is coiled downwardly in a clocks wisedirection, while the lower spiral body 10 is coiled downwardly in acounter clockwise direction. Thus the 'propensity ofthe stem 6 to turnand possibly cause a break in the sucker rods at one of the jointstherein is v overcome.

Also the lower spiral scraping blade is of a greater diameter than thelower scraping blade so it will cut somewhat deeper into within thetubing the sucker rod is drawn up- -wardly to bring the upper and lowerspiral cutting blades through the parafin and to or near the'surface sothat the paraiiin is scraped from the wall of the tubing.

It is especially important to note that the scraping blades 9 'and 10are suliciently long to center the device in the tubing so that the ing.In fact it will be seen that the termition.

nals of the spiral cutting blades adjacent the ends of the stem aretapered and merge into the stem to avoidsharp corners and angles.y

rIhe employment of the improved parafv fin pon does not necessitate theabandonment o present equipment orrdoes it yinvolve 'any departure fromestablished practice other than that` disclosed in'this specifica- Nospecial skill is required toV install the device and little time isconsumed in simply raising the sucker rods so that the blades 9 and 10may have eective contactxwith the accumulated parain.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed'is:

LA tube cleanerfor removing paraliinlower spiral scraping blades formedon saidI stem andbeing coiled in 4opposite direction,

-one of the`spiral scraping blades being of a greater diameter than theother spiral scraping blade. j f

3. A device for scraping paraffin from well tubings comprising astemhaving means whereby the same may be incorporated in a' sucker rod belowthe point where paraiiin is likely to occur, and upper and lower spacedfspiral scraping bladeson said stem and' being oft elongated -formationwhereby the same may center the stem in the tubing, the lower spiralcutting blade being greater in diameter than the upper spiral cuttingblade whereby the two blades have substantially uniform pressureengagement with the paralin,v said blades being coiled in oppositedirections.

, In testimony whereof I alix lmy signature. ALBERT E. NEUMEYER.

